History Film / DonnieBrasco

** Much of Lefty's (good) personality traits in the film actually belonged to Sonny Black in real life, while Sonny Black's worse traits are actually from Tony Mirra, a gangster so brutal he was loathed by other gangsters and who is AdaptedOut of the film.

** Much of Lefty's (good) personality traits in the film actually belonged to Sonny Black in real life.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Donnie brings in enough intel to convict dozens of Mafia figures and is able to reunite with his family. But on the other hand, while Donnie is alive and with his family, it's clear he has regret over having to do what he had to since he got so close to Lefty and the end credits reveal there's a hit on him. Plus, Lefty is killed because he vouched for Donnie.]]

** {{Inverted|Trope}} for Lefty: he did many horrible things for the mafia, but he does not get any respect or promotion.

** One of the last scenes, where Lefty goes to meet his end. He takes off his valuables and leaves them behind for his wife. These actions were, in real life, Sonny Black's. Black gave his belongings to a bartender before going away and being whacked.
** Lefty was not the first mobster that Pistone met during the latter's time undercover. Mirra (and several others) came to Pistone before Lefty. It was also Mirra, not Lefty, who tore apart the dashboard in Joe's car looking for "a noise"- in actuality, checking for recording devices.

'''Donnie''': Twice a week, at least. Why?\\
'''Lefty''': There it is, “At least.” I cook for you.\\

'''Lefty''': If ever I had any money, I’d give you. I never had any money. But if ever I had... $100 in my pocket, I gave you $50, right?\\

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Donnie helps arrest a large amount of members in the Mafia and is able to reunite with his family. But on the other hand, while Donnie is alive and with his family, it's clear he has regret over having to do what he had to since he got so close to Lefty and the end credits reveal there's a hit on him. Plus, Lefty is killed for bringing Donnie in.]]

* LastSecondChance: [[spoiler:Just before the FBI swoop in to make the climatic busts, Donnie essentially gives Lefty a chance to walk away and escape the deadly mob consequences of letting in an police undercover agent into their world. Lefty indignantly turns it down and chooses to face the expected consequences.]]

* TheMafia: With the real life Donnie Brasco, Joseph Pistone, providing the source book and on-set assistance the movie is packed with detail. The paradoxical world of the Mafia is explored: hierarchy, loyalty, codes of honor. But also harsh penalties for failure or transgression, betrayal, and promotion via dead men's shoes. In fact, the movie deconstructs the glamour surrounding the mob.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The movie purports to be "a true story", and while Joseph Pistone's book memoir was mostly faithful to real events in which he participated, the screenwriters and the director preferred a very wide ArtisticLicense. The movie invents events and characters, removes real ones, turns other FBI personnel into useless fools (one of the clownish characters in the movie was actually an FBI agent ''posing as a dangerous mob turf boss'' during the operation), and has Pistone [[HollywoodLaw engage in activities that would have thrown him to prison in reality]] (being that he was of Sicilian and Calabrian heritage, Pistone was offered the chance to be made by killing off the son of a deceased capo but the FBI pulled the plug before this could happen). Lefty, the movie's faithful friend, [[AdaptationalHeroism was in fact a genuine thug]] often despised by Pistone, and many of the positive traits of his movie character were taken from the real-life Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano - the only gangster whom the real Pistone actually felt some kinship and considered to have a genuinely good side. He, in turn, [[AdaptationalVillainy was of course turned]] into a BigBad in the film... with his worst traits actually taken from Pistone's earliest mob mentor Anthony Mirra, a gangster [[AxCrazy whose personality was such]] that he was widely ''[[TheDreaded loathed by other gangsters]]'', but eventually went into hiding, knowing that he was a marked man. Unsurprisingly, his character is ''completely absent'' from the film.

Creator/MichaelMadsen plays Sonny, the boss of Lefty's crew. Creator/BrunoKirby plays Nicky, another member of the crew. Creator/PaulGiamatti shows up briefly as an FBI tech. A young Creator/GretchenMol has a bit part as Sonny's girlfriend.

''Donnie Brasco'' is a 1997 crime drama staring Creator/AlPacino (Lefty), and Creator/JohnnyDepp (Donnie) set in the [[UsefulNotes/TheMafia Mafia]] [[{{Gangsterland}} gangland]] of 1970s-80s New York. An imposing mafia hitman, one Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero needs some advice on a jewel he has been given as collateral. Nothing here is as it seems: the jewel is a fake and the guy giving him advice, expert jewel thief Donnie Brasco, is in truth working deep cover for the FBI.

** Joe Pistone risks his life in the infiltration mission, but he does not get much consideration from his wife, and even the FBI, for that.